𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The following post is excerpted from The Athletic’s sports business newsletter, MoneyCall.

“The Super Bowl for NFL social media teams” is coming tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET, when the league will reveal its complete 2026-27 regular-season schedule — and individual teams will compete to see who delivers the most creative, clever and viral accompanying video.

Jimena Panduro, The Athletic’s manager for U.S. social, gave me her classics of the form, including the highly detailed 2019 Atlanta Falcons “Game of Thrones”-inspired opening sequence and the 2023 Tennessee Titans’ viral fan-on-the-street logo challenge, which they went on to recreate in 2024 and 2025. (“Because yes,” Panduro said, “it was that good.”) Last year, the 2025 Seattle Seahawks ‘90s toys commercial claimed instant iconic status.

But she said there is a clear championship franchise:

💬 “For years the Chargers have set the standard and produced hit after hit, with pieces as incredible as an anime-inspired release in 2022, a Sims universe schedule release in 2024 and a Minecraft video in 2025.

“What makes the Chargers’ videos so good is the easter eggs you will find throughout. On- or off-season drama or controversy, relationships between players and coaches, whatever, they’re likely going to find a way to drop it in there.”

Shaneika Dabney-Henderson, The Athletic’s head of video, has been through this process on the team side with the New Orleans Saints.

💬 “Schedule release can definitely be one of those ‘pull your hair out’ moments on the calendar. Not all content teams are playing with the same budget or resources, but that doesn’t lessen the pressure to meet the moment. And there are often conflicting philosophies within each organization, with some wanting to use the video as a long-term marketing asset, while others have a singular focus: win the day.”

What else makes for a great NFL schedule release video? Via Jacob Robinson, host of our must-read NFL newsletter:

💬 “I’ve got three answers for you there: 1) It’s made by the Chargers. Top class, always. 2) Humor, of course. Ideally something that isn’t too obvious, but just niche enough for true football appreciators. 3) It’s tasteful and legal. The Colts had to delete their video last year for a few reasons, ones that every team hopefully avoids tomorrow.

(Also, our Jayna Bardahl reported last year that — at least in prior years — the NFL league office didn’t review these videos in advance, which I found astonishing for a league that typically stands out for messaging discipline. New reporting from Bardahl: How the league uses AI in the making of the schedules themselves.)